Warrior women and a concubine enthral

Peking Opera is wowing audiences with superstars and two popular productions in the UK

With megastars, lavishly embroidered costumes, elaborate makeup and rapid-fire acrobatics, China's leading Peking Opera troupe is presenting two masterpieces to the UK for the first time in 10 years.

Peking Opera, known as jingju in Chinese, is a national theatrical art dating back to the 18th century. The performers combine unique storytelling, acrobatics, acting and martial arts with Chinese song and dance.

First in Liverpool and in London through Nov 22, the China National Peking Opera Company presents two operas: Farewell My Concubine - a tragic tale of a king's concubine who commits suicide rather than be captured by enemy forces, best known in Chen Kaige's 1993 film - and The Warrior Women of Yang, a story of grief, courage, patriotism and family loyalty.

"We carefully selected the plays, which are both Chinese classics; there are many ups and downs in both of the storylines, which can present audiences with the grand, magnificent and tremendous momentum of Peking Opera," Sun Guiyuan, the national director of the company, says.

"The two plays can truly reveal the performance styles and the best of martial arts in Peking Opera - a combination of singing, acting, recitation and acrobatics," he adds.

The Warrior Women of Yang has a cast of more than 50 stage combat and acrobatics performers, Sun notes. And the contrasts as emotions change are so strong that the audience can understand the motives, the determination of the characters to protect their country.

In Farewell My Concubine, "We have Xiang Yu, the general who is welcomed by the people even he failed in a war in ancient China. This play represents a tragedy in the Asian way about a hero and a beauty, a life and death," Sun adds.

The troupe of over 60 singers, actors and musicians made several changes, such as the duration of the play, for Western audiences.

"Peking Opera usually takes three hours, which is longer than Western dramas. So we changed it to two and a half, including intermission. We omitted some of the scenes to give a tighter pace to the story," Sun says.

"We wish the audience truly understand and experience the spirit behind the artistic performance of Peking Opera through our plays."

Famous performer Yu Kuizhi, a veteran who has a leading role in the plays, says: "We emphasize every move. Since Peking Opera is unfamiliar to British audiences, we exaggerate our moves and gestures to help audiences understand the content."

The performance in Liverpool was very successful, and it was welcomed by audiences made up of Britons and Chinese, Yu says.

"Audiences from the West normally give a round of applause at the end of each scene. But Peking Opera is different as it needs a continuing interaction between the actors and the audience," Yu says.

From the first appearance of the actor on the stage, audiences often applaud every significant move the actors make. "Western audience members also experienced that with the lead of our Chinese audience," Yu says.

There isn't a problem if audiences in the UK don't understand the spoken language, since there are English subtitles to translate the stories and also good interaction between actors and audience members. "Whenever the audience feels like it, they can clap, they can shout," Yu adds.

The two plays were to be staged at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London from Nov 19 to 22. "We are also happy to introduce it on a BBC program on Nov 18 to let more Western audiences understand Peking Opera," says Li Shengsu, a female lead in the plays.

"It helps to promote Peking Opera during the UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange. It is a program to help introduce the preparation process backstage, and explain better the stories of the two plays," Li says.

While Peking Opera is most famous in the West for its visual elements, the vivid show on the BBC gave audiences a deeper understanding.

Costumes are made from layers of embroidered silk in vivid colors, with heavy fringing and exotic birds emblazoned across them. They have long silk "water sleeves" that swirl like ribbons, elaborate headpieces with pearls and pompoms, and platform boots to raise them from the ground.

Makeup is coded for different characteristics: red for heroism, black for honesty, and blue for stubbornness, Li says.

In Liverpool the magazine The Merseysider gave it five stars, saying: "This was one of the most significant cultural events" in many years.

"This mix of death-defying acrobatics and ancient Chinese tradition is a breath of fresh air ... a must-see," said Jeffery Taylor, a commenter in local media.

The UK tour is organized by Zhang Kewei, president of Sinolink, a UK-based company that brings Chinese art and culture to the world.

"Ten years ago, I watched the performance of the China National Peking Opera Company in London, which left me with a strong impression. I always thought of having it return," Zhang says.

"The two plays are very touching. I am never sick of them, although I have watched them a number of times."

Since May, Zhang has invited journalists from media across the UK to watch performances of Peking Opera to help them understand better.

"Now is a good chance to show Peking Opera culture to British audiences, especially as this year marks the China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange," Zhang says.

The Chinese government also promotes traditional opera among the young, putting it into the primary school curriculum, sponsoring university tours and running an opera TV channel.

"In a fast-changing modern society, we have a mission to carry on our heritage," says Sun. "The essential Chinese values of generosity, virtue, courtesy, wisdom, reputation, respecting the older generation - that's the meaningful purpose for opera."

According to Sun, in order to attract young audiences, the opera company has changed the storyline of plays in recent years. Audiences are delighted to watch stories with lots of ups and downs and a tightened pace in the drama.

The performers also work with universities and schools to let more students watch, understand and become fans of opera through performances and forums. At the same time, the issue of training young performers is also very important, Sun says.

Learning or performing Peking Opera is not easy. Costumes can weigh up to 10 kilograms and are tied tightly, making it difficult to move freely or sometimes even take deep breaths.

Pupils join the Peking Opera school and embark on a rigorous training regime lasting many years, in which they specialize in playing one of four types of characters: sheng (male), dan (female), jing (painted face) or chou (comedy).

"We need to give opportunities to the new generation," Yu says. "The new generations of Peking Opera performers today are all graduates from high education institutions, receiving training since 10 years old. From high school to graduate school, they have received 13 years of training."

The admission to the National Peking Opera Company is also very strict, given that candidates must demonstrate great potential and ability to be selected, Yu says. After admission, they must have opportunities to present their talents.

"Cultivation of the next generation is vital to the further development of Peking opera," Yu says.

Karen Kwok contributed to this story.

zhangchunyan@chinadaily.com.cn